Posts Tagged ‘wallet’

This video shows what can happen if you try to use “self-help” to get your stuff back after you conclude you know who just pickpocketted you:

“Messed Up: Pickpocket Victim Gets Knocked Out Trying To Get His Wallet Back!”

Notes:

This video has already been seen by hundreds of thousands of people. That amount is certainly more than the number of people who came to town to see the America’s Cup last year. I’ll tell you, those “gentlemen’s match races,” which cost us eight figures, were designed to burnish our image, nationally and internationally. But videos like these also affect our image, right? It could be that this one viral video, by itself, has erased any and all image burnishment gained by hosting AC34, right? What if SFGov exerted as much effort upon its core functions, you know, instead of having fun with Larry Ellison – what would that look like?

Self help [legal term] can work, sometimes. Good Samaritans can join in to overwhelm a team of pickpockets – that might happen. But what if you’re wrong about who took your stuff? What if you capture your “pickpocket” only to discover that s/he’s clean. Maybe your wallet was handed off to others in the team or maybe you were mistaken in the first place. Either way, you will have been putting effort into a fruitless endeavor. And the risk. The next step up would be an edged weapon, and then a firearm. OTOH, the chances of ever getting your stuff back are decreasing by the second. It’s tough to know what to do in this kind of situation.

“Yesterday afternoon I was assaulted by 5-6 young men on Sixth and Natoma in the Tenderloin. In broad daylight they surrounded me, tried and failed to grab my wallet, phone and backpack but made off with my 1999 green Cannondale road bike. I’ve attached a picture of a similar bike though mine had traditional silver rims and a black Terry saddle. If you see this bike for sale on craigslist or anywhere around San Francisco/Oakland please call the police immediately. They are aware of this group and, frankly, are fed up with this bullshit.

If you were involved in the violent, cowardly mugging on Monday August 20th you have not gained much. I am in good health and will pursue this until justice is served. These actions bring digrace on your families, community, and the city of San Francisco. My only regret is that I didn’t land another kick when the SIX of you had me pinned in the street.”

Oh, and thanks so much for moving in to the hood, Twitter. Let us know if you want anything else from the City and County, you know, like another shuttle bus service to CalTrain, you know, to supplement the two you already have. Oh, and thanks for not paying the 2004 Gavin Newsom tax – that was very clever of you. Oh and thanks for the $2,000,000 Jane Kim slush fund you’re paying for – the non-existent WiFi, you know, part of what you promised, you know, instead of paying your taxes, well, I’m sure it would have worked perfectly.

Here’s the sad story from the dude what lost his stuff at the Subway Sandwiches on Polk and Sutter:

“(3/25/2012) I was in the Subway sandwiches place at 1199 Sutter at Polk and then walked outside to get a taxi for some people I was with. I had accidentally left my phone and wallet on the table. When I returned about 30 seconds later my stuff was gone. Here is the surveillance video of who took it. Please message me or email me at racejohnson@gmail.com if you recognize her.”

Now, I say girls, I mean, I can’t tell how old they are, something betwixt 14 and 24. They act like high school students AFAIAC.

San Francisco police officers arrested three men acting together to pickpocket Muni patrons. Taken into custody November 29 were Miguel Lucana, 42, of San Francisco; Antonio Martinez, 34, also of San Francisco; and Juan Gonzales, 38, of Oakland.

Click to expand

“On November 29, shortly after 3:00 P.M., two plain clothes SFPD officers assigned to the Muni Task Force were at the bus stop at Geary and Powell streets preparing to board a bus as part of ongoing efforts to help prevent pickpocket thefts on buses. One of the officers recognized Lucana, who has prior police contacts, standing at the bus stop with a t-shirt draped over his shoulder. Typically, a pickpocket will conceal his arm and hand during the theft attempt.

Standing next to Lucana on the crowded 38 Muni, one of the officers saw him attempt unsuccessfully to furtively open the purse of a woman standing next to him. Lucana then moved to another part of the bus, where he spoke with suspects Martinez and Gonzales. Pickpockets often work in pairs or more. One passenger on the bus reported that his wallet was missing

All three suspects were detained in the vicinity of Post and Fillmore streets. Police recovered the victim’s wallet, which had been in Lucana’s possession.

All three suspects were charged with theft and conspiracy and remain in custody.

“I am extremely proud of our Muni Task Force for everything they do to help keep this system safe,” said Ed Reiskin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “Their dedication and hard work further ensure that those who commit crimes on Muni will be brought to justice.”

The San Francisco Police Department reminds the public to be vigilant of their belongings and surroundings in crowded public spaces, and especially on publictransportation. Keep wallets in a front pocket and purses within sight at all times. Be wary of any abrupt physical contact or suspicious behavior. Citizens are also advised to use electronic devices sparingly in public, as criminal opportunists take advantage of citizens distracted while using these devices.”

Well, the onus is on you to return it, of course. Here’s the etiquette:

If you are offered a reward, which is typically something like 10% of the folding money that’s left inside, turn it down at least two times. After that, it’s your call whether to accept it or not. How’s that for etiquette?

But usually, the reward you’ll get is simply the adventure you have with the return, as here, where Whitney’s gold wallet, filled with credit cards and tens of thousands of Chilean pesos (guessing on that part), somehow ended up on Sutter Street getting pummeled by the massive tires of a #3 Jackson bus last night.

Next thing you know, you’re experiencing Redevelopment from the inside in a relatively new building that’s just an adventure in itself. Something like (but not actually) the horrible and horribly expensive Fillmore Center Apartments. Yish. Drop off the wallet with the roomie and her yapping chihuahua Taco Bell Dog (speaking of which, R.I.P. Gidget) and bingo bango, you’re done.

The Western Addition doesn’t have pizza delivery (note rectangular no-fly zone), but complimentary late-night wallet delivery, well that’s another story:

So yeah, you could take the easy way out and drop it by an SFPD station, but even getting an officer’s attention at one of these places can take a while, in my experience. Plus, you might miss out on encountering an Enormous Government-Related-Failure from up close, you know on Fillmore Street.

(Wonder how Yoshi’s San Francisco is doing these days. Are they still focused on jazz? Will the Redevelopment Agency give them ever more millions until the cows come home? Does the Redevelopment Agency know what it’s doing? Has the Redevelopment Agency ever known what it was doing? Such are the thoughts you might have when encountering the aftermath of the Redevelopment Agency up close at night.)